Northwestern University brings every facet of an elite college experience to the table: an outstanding academic reputation, an active student social life bolstered by the allure of the Chicago cityscape, and a longstanding history of producing incredibly successful alumni in all major fields. While admission to the private R1 university in Evanston, Illinois is highly competitive, those who are admitted go on to find a diverse variety of research, entrepreneurial, artistic, and pre-professional opportunities at their disposal. Alumni include the likes of author George R. R. Martin, comedian Stephen Colbert, TV/film multi-hyphenate Greg Berlanti, and former Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens. Faculty have included Tony Award-winning director Mary Zimmerman, Nobel Prize–winning chemist John Pople, and Pulitzer Prize–winning historian Garry Wills.

The undergraduate college differs from other comparable programs in that it does not have a core curriculum. Instead, students choose from 134 majors across six schools: Arts and Sciences, Communication, Education and Social Policy, Engineering, Journalism and Marketing, and Music. All students fulfill “broad distributional areas that comprise roughly a third of their undergraduate coursework,” but otherwise students are encouraged to take classes from a variety of fields. According to Northwestern’s website, “74% of undergrads combine two or more areas of study.” Additionally, “96% of the Class of 2023 were employed or pursuing further education, service, or career development opportunities within six months of graduation.”

The undergraduate student body of roughly 8,800 is housed in traditional residence halls, but the university also offers residential “colleges” which house students with a shared affinity, such as Chapin Hall for humanities majors, or Slivka Residential College for Science and Engineering for, you guessed it, STEM majors. Around one in five students are affiliated with a fraternity or sorority. Northwestern offers a huge assortment of extracurricular opportunities, including several print magazines, a student film production company, and a fifteen-time national title holding Debate society (the highest number of wins for any university). Northwestern is also the only private university in the Big Ten conference, the oldest Division I athletic conference in America. Willie the Wildcat, the university’s adorable purple-wearing mascot, can be seen at many of the big games of the season.

Established in 1850 by prominent Methodist faith leaders and businessmen in the Chicago area, Northwestern was the first chartered university in Illinois and drew its name from the former name of the Midwestern states, the Northwest Territory. The first woman was admitted in 1869, and shortly thereafter, in 1873, Northwestern merged with the Evanston College for Ladies. In the 20th century, James Gamble Rodger, an architect known for his design of Yale University, planned an integrated Chicago campus as the university was rapidly expanding in scope and enrollment, trailing behind Harvard and UMichigan in the race to be the biggest in the United States. The Great Depression disrupted this progress and forced university leadership to consider a controversial merger with nearby UChicago, but financial windfalls and increased revenue from the newly minted School of Education improved the situation and kept the institutions separate.

In the 21st century, Northwestern has acquired a legacy of educating a large number of celebrity entertainers. In fact, many of these beloved icons never completed their studies, such as actresses Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Zooey Deschanel who both dropped out to pursue their careers. The performing arts scene is just one of many ways Northwestern distinguishes itself as a leader of American higher education, and its competitive admissions process reflects this distinction. Roughly 53,000 students applied to the Class of 2029, but only 7% of those were admitted. The Office of Admissions writes that they evaluate applicants on how well they “fit” with the university, and they list “academic growth and intellectual curiosity,” “involvement and community,” and “personal characteristics” as part of this “fit.” In other words, “fit is a story you tell us about how you see yourself thriving on campus.” New Ivies will work with you to demonstrate that your “fit” with Northwestern, like a good pair of jeans, is just right!

What are Northwestern University looking for?

College admissions can be confusing. High school counselors and college admissions officers often talk about fit in the same sentence as college, but what does fit actually mean? Part of the challenge is that fit can look slightly different to each of us.

What does fit mean to you?
Take a couple of minutes and think about what it means for a school to be a fit for you.

Do you define fit in terms of academic opportunities, campus community, or finances? All of the above? Maybe fit isn’t just a list of priorities but also a type of feeling, like having a pair of jeans that you could not live without, a friend who just “got you,” or a place where you felt like you belonged.

What does fit mean to us?
We didn’t think it was fair to ask you to define fit without doing so ourselves. As we thought about fit, a few themes emerged:

.Fit is not just about who you’ve been or who you are, but also who you will be and who you might become.
.Fit is not about being perfect, but about how your strengths overlap with those of a college or university.
.Fit is not static and can change as you develop.
Most important, though, we agreed that fit isn’t something that you have (or don’t). Instead, fit is a story you tell us about how you see yourself thriving on campus.

Fit and Northwestern
We also came up with some questions that might help you think about fit and Northwestern. These questions mirror the kinds of thoughts that go through our heads when we read applications, but they’re not meant to be exhaustive.

Academic growth and intellectual curiosity
What topics are you excited to explore? What kinds of questions drive you forward?
How have you shown initiative in learning more about the world around you?
How have you challenged yourself? Surprised yourself?
Involvement and community
What role(s) have you played in the communities  around you (e.g., family, school, religious, service organization)? What impact have you had ? How have these communities shaped you?
What types of involvement have been the most meaningful for you? Why?
How do you envision yourself plugging into, learning from, and contributing to Northwestern’s community?
Personal characteristics
What are you proud of? What makes you awesome?
What kind of friends do you hope to make in college? What kind of friend would you be?
How do you overcome challenges or manage disagreements?
What gives you joy?
Need ideas?
What better way to think about fit than to get some insight from current students about how they are making the most out of their Northwestern experience?

Admissions Statistics

ADMISSION INFORMATION

APPLICATION DATES & DEADLINES

Additional essay questions of the application.

The following question is required for all applicants. Please respond in 300 words or fewer:

We want to be sure we’re considering your application in the context of your personal experiences: What aspects of your background (your identity, your school setting, your community, your household, etc.) have most shaped how you see yourself engaging in Northwestern’s community, be it academically, extracurricularly, culturally, politically, socially, or otherwise?

We encourage you to answer at least one and no more than two of the following questions. Please respond in fewer than 200 words per question:

• Painting “The Rock” is a tradition at Northwestern that invites all forms of expression—students promote campus events or extracurricular groups, support social or activist causes, show their Wildcat spirit (what we call “Purple Pride”), celebrate their culture, and more. What would you paint on The Rock, and why?
• Northwestern fosters a distinctively interdisciplinary culture. We believe discovery and innovation thrive at the intersection of diverse ideas, perspectives, and academic interests. Within this setting, if you could dream up an undergraduate class, research project, or creative effort (a start-up, a design prototype, a performance, etc.), what would it be? Who might be some ideal classmates or collaborators?
• Community and belonging matter at Northwestern. Tell us about one or more communities, networks, or student groups you see yourself connecting with on campus.
• Northwestern’s location is special: on the shore of Lake Michigan, steps from downtown Evanston, just a few miles from Chicago. What aspects of our location are most compelling to you, and why?
• Northwestern is a place where people with diverse backgrounds from all over the world can study, live, and talk with one another. This range of experiences and viewpoints immeasurably enriches learning. How might your individual background contribute to this diversity of perspectives in Northwestern’s classrooms and around our campus?